New Era Takes on New York Featuring.....

.....the US debut for the Evora S and IPS
and
.....IndyCar Driver EJ Viso and Team Principal
Jimmy Vasser

Lotus Advisory Council Member and automotive
legend Bob Lutz opened the press conference for
Group Lotus today (April 21st) at the New York
Auto Show. Whilst Bob spoke about the future for
Lotus, the focus remained firmly on the here and
now and this was perfectly demonstrated by the
American debut of the stunning new Evora S and
the Evora IPS (Intelligent Precision Shift) –
both models showcase the versatility of the
multi-award winning Evora.

Bob Lutz was joined by Lotus’ Director of Sales,
Guillaume Chabin who gave an overview on the
current Lotus line-up followed by Director of
Motorsport Claudio Berro and Lotus KVRT Team
Principal Jimmy Vasser and IndyCar driver EJ
Viso.

But for Lotus it’s the cars that are always the
stars and alongside the famous faces on the
stand sat the limited edition RGB Exige and a
member of the future Lotus family, the iconic
Esprit, arguably the most eagerly anticipated of
the new Lotus range.

Lotus will be at the New York Auto Show until
May 1st so fans of the unique British automotive
manufacturer have a few days to get up close to
a selection of some of the most enjoyable,
high-performance, lightweight sportscars on the
market.

And now some more details about those all
important stars of the show……

About the Evora S: Like the standard
Evora, the Evora S has a 3.5 litre V6 engine and
produces seamless performance. The supercharged
Evora S has 350 PS (345 hp) and 400 Nm (295 lbft)
of torque, courtesy of a supercharger which
gives acceleration of 4.8 seconds to 100 km/h
(4.6 seconds to 60 mph) and a maximum speed of
277 km/h (172 mph).

The Evora S comes with a sport pack as standard
featuring a ‘sport’ button which allows the
driver to control throttle response and activate
the exhaust by-pass valve*. The sport button
also raises the instantaneous rev limit and
changes the dynamic stability control settings
resulting in a total experience change. The
external emotion of the Evora S has been
improved with a completely new active exhaust
which means that at the push of a button the car
sounds just as dramatic as it feels.

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar says: “It’s the next
level of Evora experience. The Evora S
communicates even more with you, with extra
power and control the car responds even more to
your direction. It’s an instinctual car, the
experience is pure.”

About the Evora IPS: The IPS version of
the Evora allows the driver to switch between
manual paddle shift and automatic drive modes.
The driver also has the option of selecting
‘sport’ mode which showcases the Lotus sport
driving experience allowing the driver to really
feel each gear shift and be in complete control
of the transmission.

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar says: “The Evora IPS
is set to broaden the appeal of the Evora and
reach out to a slightly different market. We
expect it will be popular with established
automatic locations such as Asia, the Middle
East and the US. It’s been a long time since
Lotus created an automatic and we’ve spent a
great deal of time refining this one to make
sure that it perfectly complements the Evora
drive experience.”

About the RGB Exige: The limited edition
RGB Exige also featured on the stand, named in
honour of one of Lotus’ most prominent old boys,
former Director of Vehicle Engineering Roger
George Becker. In celebration of his 44 years of
service, which included doubling for Roger
Moore’s James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me,
Lotus created a special edition of the Exige and
Elise which both benefit from some
Becker-inspired modifications. For the
technically minded out there, the RGB Exige uses
the range topping 260 PS (257 hp) supercharged
and an intercooled 1.8l engine which allows this
lightweight sportscar a 0-60 mp/h in around four
seconds and an impressive aerodynamic downforce
figure of 92.5 lbs (42 kg) at 100 mph (160
km/h).

The Exige RGB is available in four colours,
Aspen White, Starlight Black, Solar Yellow &
Carbon Grey and each one is identified by a
numbered interior plaque, Roger Becker’s
signature on the side of the bodywork and
special monochrome Lotus nose badge.

About the Esprit: The new Esprit will be
powered by a 5.0 litre V8 pressure charged
engine delivering up to 620 PS. The Esprit
retains exceptional performance through it’s
unique lightweight design making it the ultimate
expression of Lotus supercar ownership. It is
the supercar that will redefine ride and
handling, performance, comfort and exclusivity.

The styling of the Esprit echos the performance
with strong lines throughout the sleek low body.
The symmetry through the mass and proportion of
the Esprit give it an intense look, it’s the
perfect example of the new Lotus DNA in action.

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar says: “Not only does
the Esprit look incredible but it will have the
performance to match. We’ve stuck to the Lotus
core values of performance through lightweight
and teamed them with future technology and
exceptional engineering to ensure that the
Esprit will be the leader of the pack. The
design is aggressive, you have to see it to
appreciate how low and wide the proportions are
but it still retains a level of dignity, of
class and most of all exclusivity. I’m very
proud of this car.”